PlayStation Classics studio says it’s ‘dreaming about’ PS3 emulation

Implicit Conversions, a developer responsible for many of the PlayStation Classics ports on PS5, says it’s researching the possibility of bringing PS3 games to modern platforms.

As spotted by Reddit, the studio recently updated the roadmap for its Syrup Engine – which powers many of the classic games on PlayStation Plus – to include a “dreaming about” section for “researching and prototyping the possibility of a PlayStation 3 emulator package”.

Implicit Conversions worked directly with Sony to bring PSOne titles to PS5, and previously its co-founder worked on PS2 emulation for PS4.

While the majority of PS5’s PlayStation Classics games are available to download and play via emulation, currently PS3 games are only playable via cloud streaming.

While Sony hasn’t provided an explanation for this, the broad consensus is that emulating PS3 games is likely difficult, due to the unique architecture of the PS3 and its infamous Cell processor.

Currently, many classic PlayStation games are only playable natively on the PlayStation 3, including Metal Gear Solid 4 and entries in the InFamous, Resistance, Ratchet & Clank, and Killzone series.

Following PlayStation Classics’ launch, VGC’s Jordan Middler wrote a column criticizing Sony’s lack of support for the classic console.

“It’s truly a shame to see how PlayStation continues to treat its third generation. Much of what’s so good about the platform now, namely its focus on big, shiny first-party experiences was birthed from the PS3.

“The excuses about how technically challenging it might be to get PS3 games running natively on the PS5 hold less and less water as more emulators emerge in the PC scene, running on hardware far below that of a PlayStation 5.”